BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  Police in Alabama say an employee is dead after shooting himself inside a federal courthouse.

Birmingham Police Sgt. Johnny Williams said an unidentified worker pulled out a weapon and shot himself once in the head about 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

No one else was harmed and Williams said there wasn’t a threat to anyone else in the building.

Williams said the shooting happened in a first-floor clerk’s office. He said the man apparently was able to get the weapon inside because he worked in the building. Visitors are normally required to go through metal detectors.